As responders continue clearing tens of thousands of gallons of oil from a small Arkansas town after an Exxon pipeline burst, delivering a severe blow to the local ecosystem, a major NGO has named the oil giant the winner of a national safety award.

With Mayflower, Arkansas struggling to deal with the 84,000
gallons of crude that began running through its streets last week,
ExxonMobil has been made the recipient of the National Safety
Council's Green Cross for Safety medal.

The group praised Exxon and its corporate bosses for
"comprehensive commitment to safety excellence." No mention
was made of the developing Arkansas disaster.

"It is evident that ExxonMobil is committed to excellence in
safety, security, health and environmental performance,"
council president Janet Froetscher said while presenting the award
to ExxonMobil CEO Rex Tillerson. "This organization is a
wonderful example of the role corporations can play in preventing
injuries and saving lives," she added.

An ExxonMobil press-release described the cleanup operations and
the effect on the wildlife of the area.

“Fourteen dead ducks, one dead nutria and two dead turtles
have been recovered,” said ExxonMobil, adding that a beaver and
a muskrat had also been affected.

While the cleanup operation has entered its second week, there
is still a lack of footage coming from the disaster zone.
Nevertheless, Mayflower resident Chris Harrell, who's been in close
contact with RT during the days following the accident, has
provided a rare video of the cleanup effort.

The film, shot on Thursday, shows muddied tarps strewn out
across the streets where 22 homes were evacuated after an
ExxonMobil pipeline ruptured last week.

Workers in special suits, reflective vests, and hard hats can be
seen working as machinery buzzes in the background under a light
drizzle.

As the camera pans down the street, revealing a vacuum truck in
operation parked outside of a home, members of the cleanup crew
with the ExxonMobil insignia approach Harrell to ask if he needs
any help.

Harrell says he is taking video for friends who live in the area
and is told by the crew worker that they are “concerned for his
safety” due to the ongoing operations and equipment that has been
deployed.

Harrell, who then identifies himself as a resident, asks if the
streets will have to be torn up. The crew is unable to answer, but
offers an escort if he would like to enter the site.

On Friday, ExxonMobile VP of Operations, Karen Tyrone, said the
company has increased the size of the cleanup crew working in
Mayflower to more than 640 people. Tyrone continued that they are
working 24 hours a day to keep the oil from spreading.

"Precaution is the word here. We're not going to put people
at risk. We want to make sure everyone feels comfortable before
these residents return to their homes," she said.

On Wednesday, ExxonMobile had said that around “570 people
are responding to the incident in addition to federal, state and
local responders.” Despite his most civil encounter with the
crew on the ground, Harrell expressed frustration that it had taken
ExxonMobil so long to bolster the crew attempting to clean up
thousands of barrels worth of oil in the area.

However, according to Daniel Kessler, an environmental
campaigner who recently spoke to RT, the quality of the staff
brought on site by Exxon is questionable.

“We do know that they’ve hired about 600 local workers to come
down and do the cleanup, and they’re actually using the internet
service Craigslist, where you can buy bicycles and sofas and stuff
like that, to advertise and hire cleanup workers. So I don’t know
about the qualifications of some of the people that they’re
bringing in. I do know that ExxonMobil last year made about 45
billion dollars, so I’m sure they can afford to bring in some
professionals to do the cleanup.”